Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to condiment cups, and more particularly to a condiment cup that is adapted to be removably fastened to a food storage container.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a need in the marketplace for a secondary container that can be readily attached to a food storage container. An example of a market for such a product is in the fast food industry. In the sale of fast food, it is desirable to be able to dispense condiments such as ketchup in a condiment cup that can be readily carried with a food storage container containing an associated foods, such as french-fries. The following references represent the state of the art in this field:
Sharkey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,262, teaches a condiment container that includes a pair of prongs for easy attachment to an associated foodstuff container. A lid is provided to snap over a flange of the container for covering an opening of the container.
Ludder et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,435, teaches a package for dispensing comestibles. The package includes a well for containing a condiment such as ketchup. The well includes a lip that is adapted to hang the condiment on the package that contains the comestibles. The well is adapted to allow nesting during storage.
Garrett, U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,468, teaches a supplementary container for holding cream on the rim of a coffee cup. The supplementary container includes a hook-shaped member for mounting the container on the coffee cup, and a positioning rib that is positioned beneath the hook-shaped member for clamping the coffee cup.
Waterston et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,975, teaches a recyclable materials caddy that can be attached to a waste receptacle. The caddy is constructed of a linear blank of corrugated plastic and includes a metal hangar member that allows the caddy to be mounted on the rim of a wastebasket.
It is desirable that the condiment cup be securely attachable to the storage container so as to prevent spillage. To meet this goal, the container must have an attachment arm or arms for attaching the condiment cup to the storage container. It is also desirable that the condiment cup include a grip enhancer for increasing the stability of the attachment. Yet this type of structure is typically expensive to manufacture, ship, and store.
It is a goal of the present invention to provide a condiment cup that can be securely attached to a container while still being inexpensive to manufacture, store, and ship. The prior art does not teach a condiment cup that includes an attachment arm for removably attaching the condiment cup to the storage container, while still enabling two or more of the condiment cups to nest within each other. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.
The present invention provides a condiment container for containing a condiment and for attachment to a storage container. The condiment container has a base and an upwardly extending sidewall that together define a storage space, the upwardly extending sidewall terminating in a perimeter lip that defines an opening for accessing the storage space. The condiment container also includes an attachment arm extending downwardly from the perimeter lip to a terminal end. A nesting aperture is positioned behind the attachment arm to enable nesting.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a condiment cup having advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide a condiment cup having an attachment art, the condiment cup being constructed so that it can nest within another of the condiment cups.
A further objective is to provide a condiment cup that can nest within another of the condiment cups without nesting so far that it is difficult to remove.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.